WEC 52 preview: Faber and Mizugaki feeling pressure to perform

Fans one day will see the WEC’s silver and gold belts alongside bright blue gloves in a museum – or at least in a collector’s haven, according to its former featherweight champion Urijah Faber.

But before the relics come to rest inside a glass case, business is at hand: two more events before the promotion folds its talent into the UFC in January.

The WEC’s second-to-last hurrah features longtime posterboy Faber (23-4 MMA, 8-3 WEC), who makes his bantamweight debut after a rough stretch in his featherweight career. Meeting him Thursday at WEC 52 is Takeya Mizugaki (13-4-2 MMA, 2-2 WEC), a tough-as-nails veteran and one-time contender for the WEC’s 135-pound title.

Both seriously would like to make a good impression before they reach the octagon.

“This is going to be an antique that I’m fighting on,” Faber said. “I’m stoked to be a part of it, and I’m stoked to put myself in line for a UFC title.”

The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas hosts WEC 52, and the main card airs live on Versus.

Although Faber is never far from a title shot, he’s in the process of rebuilding his career. He ran the field as the WEC moved from regional player to Zuffa LLC-owned powerhouse and defended his title five times against such fighters such as Jens Pulver, Jeff Curran and current WEC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz. But his freewheeling style cost him a TKO loss in a sixth defense, which came against Mike Brown, and an in-cage injury hobbled his second attempt to get it back.

Then, in April, he ran into a brick wall by the name of Jose Aldo and was forced back to the drawing board.

Faber always has been a fan favorite and as much a part of the WEC as its gloves and belt, so it’s hard to imagine a loss to Mizugaki would jeopardize a future career in the UFC. But the former champ takes pride in a path to perfection, and Thursday’s fight is another opportunity to prove he’s one of the best in the world, as he did with two victories over Pulver and Rafael Assuncao following the dual setbacks against Brown.

“The pressure for me is all about the fact that I’m fighting another person,” Faber said. “I’ve tried to keep it as primal (and) as simple as possible since I started, and I think that’s why people see how relaxed I am and how I can approach big fights and not be worried.

“I know what I put into this, and I know what I’m going to put out. I’m going to put in 100 percent, and I believe that I’ve got the stuff to win.”

Mizugaki, meanwhile, is well aware of his underdog status and couldn’t care less. In Japan, Faber is still a poster boy, and that’s enough when it comes to chalking up the significance of a fight with “The California Kid.”

“By fighting Urijah Faber, I have nothing to lose,” Mizugaki said. “There are so many things to gain from every aspect as a fighter.”

For one, it would put a huge win on his resume. Mizugaki has alternated wins and losses since his WEC debut – a “Fight of the Year” candidate against Miguel Torres at WEC 40 – with his most recent performance a unanimous-decision victory over Rani Yahya at WEC 48.

The Japanese fighter thinks his opponent’s downsizing will play a part in the fight, though Faber dismisses the 10-pound reduction as a nonissue despite the fact that he hasn’t been this light since his days as a college wrestler.

And with the intersection of a responsibility to entertain and a responsibility to win, it’s a big question mark whether Faber will go gun-slinging against Takeya, a relentless puncher who’s been stopped but once in his career.

The guess is yes since Faber undoubtedly feels he’ll have an advantage in both size and speed.

“[Mizugaki is] a very tough opponent, and I think it’s a great matchup for me,” he said. “I look forward to not only winning but making a fight that’s exciting for the fans.”

For Mizugaki, it’s a question of matching that aggression and dictating the pace of the fight in transitions. Faber is excellent at creating offensive opportunities, and the Japanese fighter needs to punish him every time there’s a rush.

In an exclusive interview with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com), Mizugaki added that he hopes to see more Japanese talent migrating to the UFC now that the bantamweight and featherweight classes are a reality in the world’s top MMA organization – with the added possibility of seeing flyweights later on.

“At 145 (pounds), I would like to see Michihiro Omigawa and ‘Lion’ Takeshi Inoue fighting in the UFC,” he said through translator and manager Shu Hirata. “Also, my training partner, current Shooto Pacific Rim champion, Taiki Tsuchiya, should do well. And if (the) UFC is making a flyweight division, I think Shinichi ‘B.J.’ Kojima will be one of the top fighters in the mix.”

Mendes and Vazquez add a little heat to co-main draw

Whether it was Javier Vazquez’s jealousy or wisdom talking, he certainly got opponent Chad Mendes’ attention by telling the “Las Vegas Sun” that Mendes has been “spoon fed” opponents.

Mendes (8-0 MMA, 3-0 WEC) shot right back at Vazquez (15-4 MMA, 2-2 WEC) when the two got on the phone to promote their co-main-event meeting at WEC 52, and the bout is now a lot more than a logical pairing on WEC matchmaker Sean Shelby’s fight whiteboard.

It’s youth vs. age and jiu jitsu vs. wrestling. It’s also about entitlement – or maybe, more specifically, what a fighter’s record entitles him.

For Vazquez, resumes mean a lot. He’s a grizzled 12-year veteran who’s just now getting his recognition after years of fighting on the small circuit. He’s trained and taught some of the best competitors in the business and nearly been signed to the UFC. Yet he’s struggled to make a name for himself for a litany of reasons inside and outside the cage. Finally, after two initial split-decision setbacks, he’s put together back-to-back wins and could be a fight or two away from getting the opportunity of his lifetime in a title shot.

In his mind, he’s fighting a guy who’s gotten more ladder than chute through an association with Faber and his Team Alpha Male posse.

“He’s a good athlete, but he’s been kind of spoon fed in a lot of ways. People like to drink the Alpha Male Kool-Aid and think everyone who comes out of that camp is the next best thing. I’m not hating. I’m just looking forward to proving I’m better.”

Mendes doesn’t buy that qualification.

“I think that’s BS,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve been spoon fed at all. I’ve been wrestling since I was 5 years old. I’ve gone through a grind – probably harder than anything he’s ever done his entire life. So getting into that and then coming over into the MMA world, I feel like I’ve trained hard and earned everything I’ve got.”

But when it comes to enacting revenge in a flurry of fists, he’s got a qualification of his own.

“I never really let emotions get too high in a fight,” Mendes said. “I train every day and bust my butt and go into the ring confident (and) knowing that I’ve trained my hardest and done everything possible.

“But hearing stuff like that definitely feeds the fire.”

And he’s more than happy to feed Vazquez’s fire while he’s at it. During a conference call promoting WEC 52, WEC president Reed Harris said Mendes boasted that jiu-jitsu specialists are not a concern.

“Black-belt jiu-jitsu guys in a gi and black-belt jiu-jitsu guys in no gi who can fight are different things,” Vazquez responded. “So thanks for that; I appreciate it.”

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